As mentioned above, the "Pingrong Wanquan Array" is the so-called "array diagram" researched by Zhao Kuangyin, Taizu of the Song Dynasty, and his younger brother Zhao Guangyi, Taizong of the Song Dynasty, which is specially used to instruct the generals in front of them how to arrange the formation to fight.

According to the historical books of the Song Dynasty, except for a few empty words that the courtiers sang the praises of the "Pingrong Wanquan Array" and the special awesomeness, there was no record of its effectiveness, and the relevant battle examples also revealed the fact that the imperial formation of Song Taizong could not be used in actual combat.

For example, in October of the fourth year of Taiping Xingguo (979), not long after the defeat of the first Northern Expedition to Youzhou, the Liao army launched a southern attack, and the main forces of Song and Liao faced each other in Mancheng. Song Taizong pre-"give the formation map, divided into eight formations, so as to engage", the Song army according to the map of the array, the gap between the formations is quite large, "the formation is a hundred steps apart, the soldiers are suspicious, slightly no fighting spirit", this "eight formations of the array" can be regarded as the predecessor of the "Pingrong Wanquan Array".

At that time, Zhao Yanjin, the general who led the troops, believed that "our division is a star cloth, and its momentum is unstoppable", and advocated changing the formation and "attacking it together". Coach Cui Han did not dare to "change the summons without authorization", and only when Zhao Yanjin and others took the initiative to take responsibility, did he change the army to two formations in the front and rear, "in front and behind", and concentrated his forces to attack, and the result was a complete victory.

However, although the victory in Mancheng was clearly the result of the general's flexible adaptation, the relevant people in the court still tacitly recorded all the credit on Zhao Guangyi's "Array Diagram", which opened the great era of the very strange "Array War" of the Song Dynasty.

Of course, the reason why Zhao Guangyi, Taizong of the Song Dynasty, wanted to use the formation map to command the front-line operations, especially the launch of the "Pingrong Wanquan Array" and put it into the Yuliao battlefield, not only did it not work, but exposed many problems, so why did he insist on implementing it on the front line and became a combat formation with great influence for a while?

Obviously, this is closely related to the founder Song Taizong himself and the change in border defense strategy at that time. After Zhao Kuangyin established the Song Dynasty, he devoted himself to the cause of unification, including the recovery of the Youyun region. Judging from the literature records of various aspects at that time, although Song Taizu gave instructions before the generals set out on the expedition, they generally did not interfere with the actual process of employing troops.

Looking at the war activities of the Song Taizu Dynasty, there is no record of the imperial formation and formation map. For example, when Cao Bin led the army to the Southern Tang Dynasty, Song Taizu not only gave the command power, but also gave Shang Fang a sword, "below the deputy general, those who do not need to be killed will be killed".

In the battle of Jinghu, Song Taizu's henchman Li Chuyun served as the capital eunuch as a privy deputy envoy, and later had a conflict with the commander Murong Yanzhao due to the implementation of military discipline, and Song Taizu had to demote Li Chuyun in order to maintain the authority of the commander. The generals who led the troops on the Hebei and Hedong fronts had great autonomy, and "everything in the army was cheaper."

It can be seen that Song Taizu roughly followed the principle of "the one who can win but the king does not win", and was not keen on giving the imperial formation and formation map. The first volume of the seventh volume of the "General Essentials of the Martial Arts" is dedicated to recording the formations made by the Song Dynasty, but there is no formation of the Song Taizu Dynasty, and the author explains: "Emperor Gong Wei Yizu appeased the world with martial virtues, and the ancient art of war should not be passed. This should be evidence that it does not stick to the formation.

In the era of Zhao Guangyi, Taizong of the Song Dynasty, because this guy became the emperor through usurpation, he deliberately guarded against his subordinates, and the military generals were the main objects of suspicion.

At the beginning of his ascension to the throne, he proclaimed the principle of "preventing things for the sake of doing things, and making a system for them", which was also more aimed at the group of military generals who held troops.

At the same time, the most important criterion for Song Taizong's military ministers is to follow the rules and obey, the so-called "I select the generals and schools, and take the first one who can control the subordinates, and the martial arts are second." In other words, obedience to military generals is heavy and courageous.

Wang Chuanshan, a beginner in the Qing Dynasty, keenly pointed out in response to the situation at that time: "Those who are jealous of the Song Dynasty are the martial ministers of Xuanli, and they are not scribes who steal their lives and invite pets." ”

During the Northern Expedition to Youzhou in the fourth year of Taiping Xingguo, there was an incident in which some generals supported the son of Song Taizu, which was particularly stimulating to Song Taizong.

Since then, Song Taizong has further strengthened his determination and measures to suppress military generals, and implemented the law of "general from the middle of the emperor", that is, to strictly restrain the generals and commanders of the army outside the country, and to control military operations remotely.

The specific means of implementing the "general from the middle of the command" mainly include: using the supervision of the army to contain the commander-in-chief, using the formation map to control the generals, and sending horses to undertake official affairs and report the military situation at any time. Among them, the preset formation and formation diagram are an important measure to achieve the pinning of the generals. The so-called "diagram formation, rules and temples win, discipline is given, remote control is cheap, the commander complies, and the nobles supervise".

Only in this way, because the generals have no right to change the plan, it is difficult for them to act on their own, and they are still less able to mobilize the army to plot misdeeds. However, despite this, the bad habit that originated in the Song Taizong Dynasty was followed by the heirs of the dynasty, which had a more far-reaching negative impact.

However, don't underestimate the command and creativity of the Song people, although the generals of the Taizong Dynasty are sad to have such an emperor who does things, but in the following hundred years, the generals of all dynasties have also found ways to avoid, confront, improve, enhance and change various imperial formations by drawing circles on their heads, among which confrontation is naturally the easiest option, such as Wang Anshi once said to Song Shenzong: "Fu Qian's anti-autumn is near, and he doesn't know where the soldiers are. If so, open a certain volume. If the imperial general is like this, that is, only Wang Chao and Fu Qian are willing to be generals, and if they have a little talent, they will not be willing to be generals at this time and wait for defeat. ”

Wang Anshi's words are also clear, to put it bluntly: "Your emperor commands indiscriminately, and he dares to command the generals to fight if he gives a formation map at will, no matter whether the formation map is good or not, I am afraid that the generals will be afraid of defeat and trouble, and they will definitely not dare to agree to work for you!" ”

Later, Wang Deyong, a military general of the Song Renzong Dynasty, pointed out even more bluntly: "Xianping and Jingdezhong, give the generals a formation map, everyone is stubbornly abiding by the method of war, and they do not save each other in an emergency, so that they have been defeated repeatedly", and advised "I sincerely wish not to give the generals with the formation map, so that the response is surprising, and the self-reliance is different", and the minister Yan Shu also asked "not to give the generals the formation map, so that the enemy can be attacked and defended", and Song Renzong was so frightened that he had nothing to say.

When it came to Song Yingzong and Song Shenzong all the way to Zhao Jichao, although there was no shortage of things like giving formation diagrams, the generals also learned to be well-behaved, since they can't do it, can't I change it?

Therefore, the "Demon Modified Pingrong Wanquan Array" put out by Yang Keshi now is the most successful example at the moment.

But he also said that there was so much nonsense, and in terms of the battlefield, it was actually just the kung fu of the past, and I saw that Guo Yaoshi, Zhen Wuchen and Liu Shunren each led a thousand men and horses, walking back and forth in the army of shieldmen like walls, gunners like forests, twists, concaves and convex orderliness, and a corridor maze-like army, constantly leading his athletes to impact the shield walls everywhere.

However, the shield wall built by the shield bearers in the Song army's array was not only extremely strong, but the spearmen and crossbowmen who were ambushed behind the shield wall were extremely compatible.

"Huh! Send a signal and ask Yang Keshi to open the door and let Pharmacist Guo go back temporarily! On the building car, Huang Jie smiled coldly and said, "If you don't show some flaws, how can you attract the enemy to come and sacrifice people's heads?" ”10